1. Field of the Invention
The field of this invention relates to a door locking apparatus and more particularly to a door locking apparatus for a garage door that is to be activated by means of a remote control with the door locking apparatus to prevent unauthorized opening of the garage door.
2. Description of the Related Art
The subject matter of the present invention is deemed to be an improvement over U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,005, issued on May 7, 2002, by the present inventors. The subject matter of this invention achieves the same objective as the aforementioned patent but constitutes a far less complex structure which can be manufactured at less cost and thereby sold to the ultimate consumer at less cost. Automatic garage door mechanisms have now become exceedingly common in conjunction with garage doors of residences, such as houses, condominiums and apartments. These garage door opening mechanisms are principally for the purpose of allowing the user the convenience to open his or her garage door by a radio actuated switch, which is commonly referred to as a remote. Conventional garage door operating mechanisms are intended to provide security for the garage door so that when the garage door is in the closed position, the garage door is to be maintained closed unless it is actuated only by the individual with the remote. However, this has been known to impart a false sense of security for the garage door as residential burglary is commonly achieved by burglars which pry open the garage door.
One common form of garage door is having the door constructed of a single flat piece with the flat piece to be pivoted from a vertically oriented position when the garage door is closed to a substantially horizontal position when the garage door is open. Another common form of garage door is where the garage door is made of a series of panels. These panels are in alignment with each other when the door is closed. Opening of the garage door causes the panels to sequentially pivot from a vertical position to a horizontal position, and when the garage door is in the fully open position, the panels again are again in alignment. When the garage door is in the closed position, it is possible for a burglar to pry open the bottom edge of the garage door to create an opening of sufficient size that would permit a burglar to wiggle through the opening and gain access to the interior of the garage. After burglarizing of the residence, the burglar may load burglarized goods into a vehicle that is located within the garage, then start the vehicle, open the garage door and proceed with an unnoticed escape.
In the past, it has been known to provide solenoid actuated latches in the lower corner of the garage door that, when latched, would prevent a person from causing an unauthorized opening of the garage door. However, these solenoid types of latches are large in size and inherently expensive. Also, the mounting arrangement for the latches is complex with this complexity greatly increasing the cost of the installation of such a locking arrangement.
In the past, it has been known to utilize a separate manual garage door unlocking mechanism. While satisfactory for the intended purpose, such manually operated locking mechanisms are not readily adaptable for use with garage doors that incorporate automatic openers as such would not provide the convenience of automatic operation. In other words, with an individual approaching a garage door with one's car, it would require that the individual leave the car, go the garage door, open the garage door, and then get back into the car and move the car within the garage. The individual then would be required to exit the car and close the garage door prior to entering within the residence. It is far more convenient to use a remotely operated opening mechanism which does not require that the individual leave the car in order to gain access to within the garage and then can close the garage door as the individual is entering the residence not requiring the procedure of separately closing the garage door.